


Pale Rose - Lion Whisperer AU

by TwoKinkyBeans



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Abduction, Adult Peter Parker, Alternate Universe, Angst, Animals in Captivity, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Genius Playboy Billionaire Philanthropist!Tony, Guns, Lion Whisperer, Lion Whisperer!Peter, Lions, Lots of suggestive talk, M/M, Mutual Pining, Poaching, Possibly maybe nsfw?, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Starker, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoKinkyBeans/pseuds/TwoKinkyBeans
Summary: "Peter Parker. Nice to meet you, sir," the young man says, his smile just as warm as the sun above them. Peter suddenly turns his head slightly, seemingly hearing something behind him. A grin appears on his face and he turns. “Nedda!” He belts as he braces himself. “You got the stalkies?”Peter’s cooing catches Tony off guard and the older man shifts where he stands, face going pale, when his EDITH glasses - through the fencing - lock onto a lioness with her eyes strained on Peter. Her body low to the ground, shoulders raised slightly and she licks her lips. Peter’s body language is confident, though. Tony has to bite his hand to keep himself from shouting when the lioness lunges forward from the bushes and throws herself onto Peter, who immediately sits down on his butt to catch her weight. Tony stares amazed at how the big cat rubs herself all over Peter and… Peter rubs back. The boy presses his face against the lionness' neck as he coos and laughs. Sometimes he makes a funny sound, which seems to mimic the deep huffing noises coming from the lioness' throat. They're... Playing together?Tony is stunned by the sight.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 27
Kudos: 96





	1. The Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> Went down a YouTube spiral and I honestly can't believe I've written out a full synopsis and chapter one within 24 hours of the idea popping up in my head. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> -Lien
> 
> P.S. You can find the moodboard on our Tumblr!

Tony is in Wakanda for a business proposal with its king, T’Challa. The Black Panther is a very valuable asset to the Avengers and though the sovereign would rather stay out of it for the sake of protecting his country- which, in Tony’s eyes, is a little hypocrite- Tony is here yet again, for a third time, with a new idea. The billionaire has the utmost respect for T’Challa. The man became king under the worst circumstances and his reign seems to be fruitful. His people love him. Tony doesn’t hate the man for putting his own duties first, but Tony simply  _ has _ to convince T’Challa to become even somewhat involved with the Avengers. Opening the borders of Wakanda was already a big step, Stark would never deny that, but it’s better to operate from a single organization, rather than multiple smaller ones. A coalition is what Tony’s going for. And he hopes that, this time, T’Challa will agree.  
  
When Tony arrives at the palace, he is approached by Nakia.  _ Queen _ Nakia, he reminds himself.  
“Tony Stark, Welcome.” she says politely. Her tone shifts and now has a slight hint of sarcasm sprinkled over it. “Yet again.”  
“Always humbled by your hospitality,” he scoffs with a smile. Nakia laughs in return. She guides Tony to the gigantic window, which overlooks a large chunk of land.  
“So, what do you have in mind this time?”  
“Coalition,” he replies simply. The answer has Nakia cock an eyebrow, so Tony continues. “You’ll still be completely autonomous. I won’t get involved in your stuff, you won’t get involved in mine. Just… A little more communication, I suppose.” Tony angles his head. “And you get to be involved in bigger decisions."  
Nakia nods with a smile, her lips pressed together, as she overlooks the savannah.   
“That sounds a lot more promising than your previous propositions.”  
“Guess you could say I’m getting desperate,” Tony laughs.  
“Well, we think you are in it for the Vibranium. Which you will still not get your hands on, might I add.”  
“I’m not- actually.” Tony turns his whole body to look at Nakia. “Is it that out of character for me to say that I value T’Challa’s opinion?” Nakia stares him down with a smirk.  
“Yes."  
  
-  
  
“Where are we going?” Tony leans back in his seat. This aircraft has the best shock dampers he’s ever felt. He always gets a little jealous when he’s in Wakanda. Suddenly, his tech doesn’t seem as advanced anymore. It has his hands itch as well. He wants to improve his stuff further, if only to rival Wakanda’s. What can he say, he’s competitive by nature.  
“The Sanctuary,” Okoye’s reply is short. Matter of factly.  
“Sounds special.”  
“It’s a reserve for big cats that can’t live in the wild for whatever reason. Shuri is there to fix some updates to the fencing and T’Challa there to see how things are going.”  
“Didn’t expect to go lion spotting today, but sure. Sounds fun.” Okoye scoffs and glares at Tony, who put his feet up on the seat opposite him.  
“You’ll be running into your own, there.”  
“My- what now?”  
“Peter.” Okoye purses her lips. “Pale Rose. Used to be the only white man in Wakanda until Bucky came here.” Tony doesn’t reply. Instead he turns his head to look outside as the outstretched land of Wakanda passes them by.  
  
After a bit, Tony frowns.  
“Why’s he here, then?”  
“The reserve is his. Well, it’s not, but he loves the cats too much to leave and they love him too much for us to send him away.”  
“That’s mean.” Okoye glares at Tony once again.  
“We used to have a strict policy on outsiders, Tony. King T’Chaka granted Peter permission to stay regardless. Why he got to stay here is honestly not my story to tell.” Tony opens his mouth to reply, but Okoye interrupts him. “I am done speaking.” Tony looks at Okoye surprised, but doesn’t feel like continuing a conversation he knows he won’t get anything out of, so he opts to keep his mouth shut. He can already see a few small buildings in the distance, so they won’t be long now.  
  
-  
  
“Tony, good to see you again!” T’Challa exclaims. He greets him with a strong pat on the shoulder and a wide smile. “I am curious to hear what you have come up with this time.”  
“I’m pretty sure I’m gonna sway you to the dark side this time,” Tony laughs. “The proposition is now officially a lot more in your favor than in mine.” T’Challa smiles and nods.  
“That’s what I like to hear.”  
“You ought to teach me some of those negotiating skills.” T’Challa walks Tony through the building of the Sanctuary with a grin.  
“Just say no. A lot.”  
“I’m already good at that, though. I wanna know how you keep me coming back.”  
“I think that says more about you than about me, mister Stark.” Tony shakes his head with a chuckle.  
  
“Brother!” T’Challa turns around with a smile at the sound of his sister’s voice.  
“Shuri, you’ve met Tony Stark before, no?” Tony puts up his most charming smile. The more members of the royal family he can get on his side, the bigger the chances are that he will get this coalition. Shuri is tall and lean. Very beautiful. Can’t be older than 22, maybe 23? Tony’s attention shifts however, to the young man a bit behind her. His biceps bulge as he carries a large crate with bloodied meat. He’s even more beautiful. His skin is tanned from working under the sun so much and his brown curls frame his face playfully. His eyes match his hair, the deep brown colour sucks Tony in immediately. This must be who Okoye was talking about.  _ Peter.  
  
_ “I have!” Shuri says with a smile, tearing Tony’s gaze away from the stunning young man who’s making his way to the enclosures. “Briefly, once.”  
“Wait, we did?” Tony stutters, the image of Peter still bored into his mind.  
“I kind of stared at you from a distance, to be honest. Didn’t want to intimidate you with my smarts.” Tony laughs.  
“I’m rarely intimidated by other people’s intelligence,” he replies with a smile.  
“Don’t challenge her, Stark.”  
“Are you saying I will regret it?” Tony quips. T’Challa smiles.  
“Most definitely.”  
  
-  
  
T’Challa still has to discuss some things with Shuri before they could go back to the palace, so Tony decides to roam The Sanctuary by himself for a bit. He saunters along the fencing, hands held behind his back, quietly swearing at himself for sweating so much in his Italian suit. He’s in Africa, he knows, but the people here wear suits too. And it’s a business proposal. He can’t just show up in khaki shorts. Speaking of khaki shorts…  
  
Tony spots him in the distance. Peter. The meat crates are still in the - for Wakanda - old fashioned pick up truck and the young man jogs towards the fencing. Before Tony realizes what Peter’s doing, he’s inside the enclosure. Tony’s eyes go wide and he immediately takes big strides towards the fencing.  
“Hey!” He shouts worried. Peter turns around startled and stares at Tony with a confused look on his face.  
“Can I help you, sir?” he replies. Tony scoffs.  
“Isn’t that super dangerous, kid? Get out of there!” Tony reaches the fencing and curls his fingers into it. Peter laughs out loud, throwing his head back and as endearing as it might look, Tony is actually scared. “You literally left the meat outside for them to smell and you walked right in. There are better ways to go, y’know?” Peter puts his hands on his hips and cocks his head with a smile.  
“Don’t worry, sir, I’m part of the pride.” He turns back to the large chunk of land before shifting his attention to Tony again. “Just went in to say hi before feeding time. Thanks for caring, though!”   
  
Peter pauses for a second, to ponder, as he stares Tony down.  
“Are you Tony Stark?” Tony nods.  
“I am. And you are…?” As if he doesn’t already know the boy is called Peter.  _ Pale Rose. _ He wants a last name, though. Needs it, for some inexplicable reason.  
“Parker,” he says, his smile just as warm as the sun above them. “Peter Parker. Nice to meet you, sir.”  
“Likewise, kid.” Peter suddenly turns his head slightly, seemingly hearing something behind him. A grin appears on his face and he turns around.  
“Nedda!” He belts as he braces himself. “You got the stalkies?” Peter’s cooing catches Tony off guard and the older man shifts where he stands, face going pale, when his EDITH glasses lock onto a lioness with her eyes strained on Peter. Her body is low to the ground, shoulders raised slightly and she licks her lips. Peter’s body language is confident, though. Tony has to bite his hand to keep himself from shouting when the lioness lunges forward from the bushes and throws herself onto Peter, who immediately sits down on his butt to catch her weight. The billionaire stares amazed at how the big cat rubs herself all over Peter and… Peter rubs back. The boy presses his face against the lioness' neck as he coos and laughs. Sometimes he makes a funny sound, which seems to mimic the deep huffing noises coming from the lioness' throat. They're... Playing together?  
  
Tony is stunned by the sight.  
  
Tony wants to warn Peter that a second lioness is on her way, but Peter seems so aware of his surroundings, so in tune with the pride, that his arm stretches out to wave at the second lion before Tony can even open his mouth. The boy hadn’t even looked away from the first lioness… Nedda?  
“Adiiii,” Peter says with a low voice as the second lioness reaches him. He pets her and rubs his face on her in the same way he did with Nedda. Tony’s nose scrunches slightly. Peter must stink terribly if he does this all day every day. Adi presses her face against him as a response and Peter yelps quietly when Adi throws her entire weight on him, causing him to lay down flat. The cuddling continues and after a little bit, Tony starts to feel a little awkward.  
“They sure like you,” he manages to push out. The lionesses eye him from the other side of the fence and Peter pushes himself upright so he can look at Tony.  
“Adi and Nedda are sisters. Their mum got shot by poachers when they were just cubs- had no chance of survival so I raised them.” Adi, or Nedda -Tony honestly can’t tell which one is which anymore- rolls over on her back and makes an “oof” sound. Peter grins and aggressively rubs her belly. “Can’t release them to the wild, unfortunately. They’d die within two weeks.” Peter sighs audibly. “Downsides of being raised in captivity.” He turns his head to look at the outstretched land behind him. “Now- I wonder…” He glances at the lionesses and rhetorically asks them a question. “Where’s Beru? It’s lunchtime soon, is he being a lazybones again?” One of the lionesses yawns as a response, and Tony purses his lips and shivers at the sight of the large pointy teeth, right next to Peter’s slender body.  
  
Peter gently pushes the lionesses off him until they rest next to him on the ground. He remains seated, though.  
“Beru?” Tony asks. Peter smiles up at him.  
“Beru’s a little younger than the sisters. He got here about seven months ago, saved from some rich asshole’s- no offense-” he adds quickly.  
“None taken.”  
“-private zoo, with a gaping wound in his foot. Vet said he wouldn’t walk again. I didn’t want to hear it, so I nursed him back to health. He’s a little naughty, though, but Adi and Nedda keep him in check. Don’t ya, girls?” For the last part of the sentence, Peter looks down at the big cats next to him and scratches one behind the ears. “Beru likes to wait for the food to come to him, but he’s going to have to put in a little more work.” Tony laughs politely, as if he isn’t intimidated by the fact that this kid is literally in charge of all these lions.  
  
It doesn’t take long for Beru to join them, though. He might be young, but he is large. His mane is full and dark and he casually strolls towards Peter with a seemingly bored look on his face. Tony holds his breath, but Peter preps appropriately and lets Beru rub his body against Peter’s back. The lion whines softly before dropping himself on the ground behind Peter and the boy laughs.  
“Hello to you too, Beru.”  
“Aren’t you scared they’re gonna rip you apart? They’re still wild animals, right?” Peter nods.  
“Yep. That’s why I’m the only one allowed in here. I can read their body language, I can differentiate their huffs and puffs. Not all growls are bad, but you gotta know which ones are for your own safety. Been here for a little over ten years now, so I’m pretty confident when I say I know what I’m doing.” He nods once. “That and these lions know me well too. I wouldn’t just jump into the enclosure of the actual new, wild lions here. Still working on building trust with them.”  
“Ten years…?”  
“Yeah,” Peter absentmindedly pets the lions he’s surrounded with. They’re all lazing about in the sun.   
  
“My parents were zoologists. They came here for research purposes, got special permission from King T’Chaka after he’d seen their anti-poaching and preservation work in other African countries. Was twelve when I moved here. We were the only white people in Wakanda. They referred to us as the Pale Roses.” Peter looks down, seemingly thinking back to his time as a kid with fondness.  
“Shouldn’t your parents be telling you that this stuff is dangerous?” Tony offhandedly points at the lions.  
“They’re, eh…” Peter looks down, as if he wonders what to say. “They got shot by poachers seven years ago.”  
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”  
“Don’t worry about it, sir. I’m just glad I got to continue their work.” Peter sounds earnest and it has Tony’s heart squeeze.  
“And even though you know your parents got killed doing this, you decided to do it too?” Peter cocks his head and scoffs at Tony’s question.  
“Wasn’t your father also a genius entrepreneur caught up in secret services?” Tony presses his lips on top of each other and looks away.  
“Touché.”  
  
Strangely enough, It’s pleasantly silent for a bit as Tony watches Peter play with the lions.  
“Mister Stark?”  
“Hm?”  
“Could you maybe pass me my camera?” Tony’s taken aback by the question.  
“You want to take a photo, now?”  
“Nooo-” Peter laughs. Tony likes the sound of it. Hopes to hear more of it. “It’s the GoPro I film my YouTube videos with. It’s the best way to raise awareness for all of this. Who would’ve guessed that people like watching me being cuddled by lions,” Peter chuckles and Tony swallows, fighting the urge to make a comment about Peter’s handsome looks. “My videos have a donation link attached and I spread those donations over anti-poaching groups, and stuff. Wakanda funds the Sanctuary, so we don’t need the money ourselves. Just wanna do what I can to spread the word, yaknow?” Tony grins and turns to the pickup truck.  
“Quite the goodie two shoes, aren’t you?”  
“These lions are my life, sir. The goal is for this Sanctuary to become redundant. These cats shouldn’t live in captivity. They’re here because they and many other species are endangered. Once we stop the poaching and convince people that climate change is actually tearing this planet apart, we won’t need the conservation projects anymore. I’d love to retire early, but with how things are going, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Or, at all, really.”  
“Oh, please-” Tony scoffs, taking the selfie stick with the GoPro attached to it from the passenger’s seat via the rolled down window. “You’re already thinking about retirement?”  
“For this job, yes.” Peter slowly gets up to walk towards the fence. The lions follow his every move with their eyes. “If I’m out of a job here, it means I did it right.”  
  
Tony fondly smiles down at the kid, who is now only a few inches away from him, as he pushes the GoPro through the small holes of the fencing. When Peter takes it, one of the lionesses growls and Peter immediately turns his face.  
“Better take a couple steps back, mister Stark. Adi gets possessive at times.” Tony quickly moves away from the fence.  
“Alpha?”  
“Lions don’t really have alphas. There’s always a more dominant male if there are multiple in a pride, but the females are the leaders.” Tony nods understanding and glances at the GoPro in Peter’s hands.  
“What are you filming today?”  
“Not much. Probably a little teaser that I can post tonight. Some of the lions are gonna switch enclosures this week- keeps them on their toes, yaknow? They all have big patches of land, but it’s good for them to switch things up from time to time. So, that’s gonna be a big video.”  
  
“If you want I can help you with your reach.” Peter laughs out loud, causing the lions to look up at him confused.  
“Is Tony Stark asking for a collab?” Tony scoffs and crosses his arms.  
“No- I mean, I’m… Well, I am Tony Stark, obviously, but that means that if you put me in one of those videos, or let me talk about you- the Sanctuary- online, I can extend your reach.” Tony hates how he stutters. He rarely stutters like this. But Peter is just so disarming, Tony doesn’t understand how the poachers haven’t dropped their weapons yet. Peter sits down between the lions again and shakes his head.  
“Sorry, mister Stark, but I’m pretty sure that will get me the wrong kind of attention.”  
“How so?”  
“ _ Rich, white man spends time with captive lions in Africa. _ ” Peter uses his hands, one of which still holds the GoPro, to gesture the headline of a newspaper. Before Tony can protest, Peter continues. “That’d be bad for the both of us.” Tony sighs, understanding the boy’s worries and he takes another step back.  
“You know what, that’s very fair.” He sniffs once. “Though, if you do change your mind...” He casually strolls, much like Beru did earlier, to Peter’s pickup. Peter eyes him curiously. Tony reaches into his jacket and takes out a card, presenting it to Peter from a distance. He tosses it through the opened window and smiles, bringing his hands together and squeezing them. “You got my number.” Peter stares at Tony wide-eyed, not believing none other than Tony Stark just gave him his card.  
  
“Stark!” Tony turns around to see T’Challa waving at him, beckoning to get back to the main building of the Sanctuary. He sighs, not wanting to leave Peter just yet, but ultimately complies. He gives T’Challa a half-assed wave back before he pivots on one foot until he faces Peter again and he gives the boy a warm smile.  
“I gotta go, kid. You go feed those lions, they must be hungry by now.” Peter chuckles, patting on one of the lionesses bellies.  
“They sure are.” Suddenly, the boy turns red. If Tony wasn’t paying such close attention to Peter’s features, he wouldn’t have noticed the tanned skin change colour. Is he… Blushing? “It was nice to meet you, mister Stark. Thank you for the offer.”  
“You’re welcome, Mowgli.” Peter snorts at the nickname. “See you around.” Tony walks off with short strides, trying to hide his own blush, hoping he could play it off as sunburn.  
  
Tony spends nearly the entire evening in his private quarters in the palace watching Peter’s videos. He didn’t even care that T’Challa refused the proposition again. Means he gets to come back again. Means he has an excuse to see Peter again. He smiles along with the bubbly young man on screen. Most of his videos involve him being “attacked” by the lions. He also has hyenas and a few panthers in the Sanctuary, but Peter’s most at home with his two babies, Adi and Nedda. Tony can’t help himself as he watches back the footage his glasses took today. Footage of Peter playing with the lions, having fun, enjoying himself. The sparkle in his eyes has Tony feel a warmth he hasn’t felt in a long time. When he reaches a certain point in the video, he orders the AI to pause. The sun hits Peter just right. Adi and Nedda rub into him with their eyes closed, content. And that smile. That damned smile. Tony can’t just let this go. He’s going to help this kid. It’s the least he deserves.  
  
Tony screenshots the image and opens his social media to type out a special post.


	2. Mister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wakes up to a ton of notifications and decides to invite Tony to the move. They flirt.

Six AM. Peter groans as he turns around in his bed to slap the alarm. The sun is already shining through the curtains and he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. Peter cracks his back and sighs, slowly raising his hand again to grab his phone. He unplugs it from the charger and frowns when he sees a wall of notifications. He puts in his code and opens his email first. He gasps when he reads his daily donation update. Their donation goal of 100k dollars was met. And kicked out of the park by another 560k. The number of separate donations has him lose his breath. How did so many people find this fundraiser?  Peter opens the next email. YouTube contacted him to… Congratulate him? Peter’s eyes go wide when he sees the number in the email and he immediately switches apps to check his YouTube account. How many subscribers did he have yesterday? Around 700k?   
“Holy shit…” he mumbles.  
  
_ 1.8 million subscribers _ .  
  
Peter jolts to sit upright in his bed, his bare chest uncovered from the thin sheet as he scrolls through the countless new comments he has. He pants, not believing what is happening. He’s pretty sure he can’t even read all of them anymore at this point. On his most recent video, the most liked comment sparks his interest.  
  
_ Who else is here because of Tony Stark?  
  
_ “Oh, no, he didn’t.” Peter switches apps again and opens his Instagram. He stares at another wall of notifications and opts to just turn them off for people who aren’t mutuals. He’s about to hit the search bar to find Tony Stark’s Instagram in the list of people he follows, but with his notification wall compressed to just mutuals, one shines through.  
_  
Tony Stark now follows you.  
  
_ They’re mutuals now. Peter immediately hits his account and stares at the latest post. It’s a candid of Peter with Adi and Nedda. Tony didn’t have a phone with him, though, or a camera. How could he have taken this picture? Peter’s breath is stuck in his throat as he scrolls down to the caption, almost afraid of what he might read.  
  
_ Meet Peter Parker. A bright sun, that rivals the one up in the sky, who also happens to work with cats. Big cats. Wakanda’s Sanctuary, almost 300k square feet of land, is the home of lions and other animals that are native to Africa. There, Peter takes care of the animals that are endangered because of human interference. Animals that can no longer be released into the wild; that were saved from horrible private zoos or who fell victim to poachers.  
  
_ _ I was blessed with both a terrible sunburn and a generous conversation with Peter, in which he told me about his goals to raise money in order to fight poaching and to raise awareness for climate change. I do encourage all of you to watch at least one of his videos, just to get to know him and his feline friends a little better and to give him that small bit of ad revenue to help him achieve his goals.  
  
_ _ The world would be a better place if we were all a little bit more like Peter Parker.  
  
_ Peter stares at his screen, his cheeks flushed red at the endless stream of compliments. Peter reads over the last line again and again and again and again. Tony’s post got him this increase in subscribers. Tony’s post got him all of those donations. This was all because of Tony. Peter tears his eyes away from the phone to look at the small card on his bedside table. Matte black. No name. Just a phone number. Tony’s phone number. Maybe doing a collab with the billionaire philanthropist isn’t such a bad idea after all...  
  
-  
  
Peter assesses himself in the mirror. He’s never been this nervous for a video before. Or, ever at all, really. Tony Stark immediately agreed to being present for the move. Even on the phone, the man had been incredibly charming. Peter ruffles his hair in an attempt to make it look good, while sucking at his teeth. He swears quietly, knowing spending time with the lions will mess his do up again anyways. Peter opts to not think too much about it and covers himself head to toe in sunscreen, as he does every morning. He takes one last glance in the mirror before grabbing his baseball cap and putting on his walking shoes.  When Peter opens the front door of his apartment at The Sanctuary he gulps and immediately walks back in to throw the door shut with a loud bang. Tony was already there. Right outside his small, messy room. Peter saw him well enough to have the image of Tony’s outfit stuck in front of his eyes. Camo shorts, brown walking shoes and a green shirt. His brown tinted pilot sunglasses hide his eyes mysteriously and fuck. He looks hot. Peter takes a deep breath in through his nose and closes his eyes, trying to calm his nerves.  
“Here we go…” he whispers to nobody but himself and when he opens the door again, he yelps, refraining from throwing it shut straight away again. Tony’s right in front of him, hand raised to knock on Peter’s door. The older man cocks his head and smiles.  
  
“Morning, Rose,” Tony quips. Peter swallows his breath and chokes when he hears the nickname. “You rushed back in, so I figured I’d come say hi.”  
“Yeah!” Peter exclaims, laughing sheepishly. “I- eh… I saw you didn’t bring a cap. I was gonna grab you one.” He presses his lips together in a smile. Yes. Good excuse.  
“A… cap?”  
“Yeah, a cap.” Peter doesn’t know what to say next and awkwardly stares at Tony’s features.  
“Should I have brought a cap, then?” Peter jolts when Tony speaks again and he points at his own head.  
“You get sunburnt at the top of your head quickly out there and I’m guessing you don’t want to put sunscreen on your scalp, so…” Peter swiftly takes off his own hat and pushes it onto Tony’s head. The man is startled by the gesture, but doesn’t protest. Peter stares at the man wide-eyed when he realizes what he just did. “-Ah,” he stutters. “Sorry about that, I should’ve asked, shit-”  
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Tony laughs. “I get it, okay? When we first met I was just the random dude you see in the news occasionally and now I completely flipped your life with one post you didn’t want me to make.” Peter stands frozen in place, staring at Tony and pretends that that is exactly the reason why he’s so flustered. “I’m sorry for not asking permission. That’s on me. But- please- don’t feel like you have to do anything for me, okay? You don’t get the title of philanthropist by asking for things in return.” Peter takes a step back and looks at his feet with a frown. Tony clears his throat. “So, what are you gonna use for  _ your _ head?” Peter looks up so he can stare at Tony again. Tony gestures towards Peter’s hair by nodding. “You just pressed your cap on me. Thank you for letting me borrow it, by the way, but don’t you need the protection as well?”  
“Right!” Peter exclaims, turning to fall on his knees and crawl under the bed to get a small box. He takes out an old, slightly more worn cap and waves it in front of his own face. “That’ll do.”  
  
-  
  
“Good morning everybody,” Peter smiles at the GoPro in his hand. “It is currently 7am, we got a busy day ahead of us: we’re going to be switching enclosures for two prides and if that goes smoothly, we’ll hopefully be taking Adi, Nedda and Beru for a walk this afternoon.” Peter looks down at his feet for a second and then back up into the lens with a wide grin. “Now, you must be wondering why I say ‘we’ for the walk, as that’s a thing I do without the volunteers of The Sanctuary, but I actually have a very special guest with me today!” Peter turns around quickly, whipping the camera with him until Tony enters the shot behind him. The man smirks and cocks an eyebrow.  
“Hello, there.” Peter feels Tony’s hot breath in his neck and has to stay focussed on the camera so as to not to lose his composure. A lot of people are gonna watch this video, simply because Tony Stark is in it, so he has to sell this right. For the lions. At least, that’s what Peter tells himself.  
“Tony Stark!”  
“Me!” Tony raises his hands above his head and they both pull a face, resulting in the both of them bursting out with laughter.  
“So,” Peter says, angling his camera correctly again. “A lot of you peeps have been asking me to make a video from the perspective of someone visiting The Sanctuary as opposed to just me with the GoPro attached to my arm, so I figured I could take this opportunity to see how well you handle a camera, Mr. Stark.” Peter presents the GoPro to Tony who looks at Peter’s fingers for a second. He really doesn’t like to be handed things, but every molecule inside his body is screaming at him to touch the boy, so he does something he rarely allows. With a grin, he takes the camera out of Peter’s hands, lingering a little longer than necessary and turns it until he’s no longer in shot. Instead, Peter’s all the viewer is able to see now. “Hey!” Peter exclaims. “You’re in this vid too!”  
“Yes, but you are infinitely more interesting to look at.”   
  
Peter scratches the back of his head and looks down, trying to hide his blush behind the worn cap. Tony clears his throat.  
“You doing your work, kid.” _ Saved it _ , Tony hopes. “Don’t think anybody goes to the Sanctuary Channel to watch my face.”  
“Well-” Peter exclaims, standing upright again with his lips pressed on top of each other. “I  _ was _ also thinking that this video will be the one most people get introduced to my channel with because- well… You’re in it.” Peter nods, holding his chin with his thumb and index finger. “So, yeah, you can ask me anything that comes to mind. Doesn’t matter if I’ve touched on it before in other vids.”  
“Well, then, Mr. Parker-”  
“Peter,” the young man interrupts him. “Feel so old when people call me that.”  
“Sheesh, kid, you’re what, 22? Just a few days ago you were talking to me about retirement- we’re in the 21st century, people live ‘til 85 at least.” Peter laughs and boy, does Tony love making him laugh.  
“For the record,” Peter chuckles. “I’m 23. So that’s  _ way  _ older than 22.” Tony snorts. “And my workfield isn’t exactly without danger, Mr. Stark.”  
“Ha!” Tony exclaims. “Way to make  _ me _ feel old, kid.”  
“But-”  
“If I’m not allowed to call you mister than you’re not calling me that either. Tony, kid. Call me Tony.” Peter hides his face behind his hands.  
“I’m gonna have to spend a whole day editing this vid, don’t I?”  
“Probably.”  
  
-  
  
“Alright!” Peter says excitedly as he hops into the truck. He slowly drives over the Sanctuary grounds. “Your timing is actually quite ironic, since we’re moving the Avengers today.”  
“The- oh?” Tony pretends he wasn’t already aware of this. He’s seen the videos of this particular pride. He knows what’s coming. He puts the camera diagonally and Peter chuckles, trying to steer with one hand while flailing slightly with his other to make Tony hold the camera straight again.  
“A group of four males. Banner, Thor, Rogers and-” Peter cocks one eyebrow with a smirk. “Stark.”  
“You named a lion after me?” Tony feigns his surprise with a wide smile and Peter scoffs a laugh.  
“These boys joined The Sanctuary as cubs about four years ago. Were all part of a circus.” Tony snorts and has to stop himself from losing his composure.  
“That’s not far off from the real thing,” he jokes. Peter presses his lips on top of each other in a grin.  
“Trust me, Mr- Tony.” Peter gently hits the brake and they slow down. “It’s quite scary.”  
“Says the kid who works with lions for a living.”   
“And hyenas,” Peter adds quickly. “And leopards.”  
“No black panthers?”  
“That’s the leopards,” Peter chuckles. “Leopards that are melanistic are commonly known as black panthers. But they’re still leopards, really.” Peter shrugs nonchalantly. Tony sniffs once. He’s getting schooled by a boy less than half his age. But he enjoys it. Somehow.  
  
Most of the volunteers were already waiting for Peter at the enclosure. There’s a large truck with a cage on top and a lot more commotion than Tony expected.  
“If you told me there’d be this many people I’d have prepped a speech,” Tony quips. Peter sighs dramatically and gets out of the truck. Tony follows swiftly and stares at how Peter speaks Xhosa with the other volunteers. It looks funny, almost, seeing a white boy speak the language so easily- fluently.  After a minute, Tony grows bored, so he turns the camera to face him and pulls a few funny faces at it. When he realizes this video is going to be seen by a lot of people, he brings the GoPro closer to his face and whispers.  
“That was for your eyes only, Mr. Parker,” he grins.   
“Tony?” The older man looks up from the lens when Peter calls out for him and subconsciously, Tony smiles wide at the mention of his name. “You ready for the good part?” Peter shuffles past a few of the volunteers towards the gate and Tony makes his way over to fencing.  
“Oh, I am  _ very _ curious, kid.”   
  
It’s not long before Peter’s by himself in the enclosure, the gate closed behind him. He casually strolls around, calling out the names of each pride member. Tony can’t help himself and inches closer to the fence.   
“So, these lions are four years old?”  
“Nearing five, yeah. They were only a couple months old when we found them. Sure made a wreck of my house when I raised them,” Peter laughs. “Pro-tip-” He raises one hand and only now Tony notices Peter’s holding a small chunk of meat in it. “-if you ever raise lion cubs; two at the same time tops. Not three. Never four. Four will make you so sleep deprived you think you have five cubs on your bed.” The boy chuckles at his own comment. “That was an interesting night…” Tony shakes his head with a wide grin.  
“I can imagine.”  
  
  
Peter suddenly cocks his head- listening. He turns and spots the first lion slowly making his way towards him.  
“M- Tony,” Peter says, looking back at the billionaire for a second. “Meet Rogers.”  
“Already have,” Tony groans, which makes Peter laugh. His focus immediately shifts to the lion and he squats, preparing himself for the imminent cuddles. He tosses the meat from his hand directly into the lion’s mouth.  
“Rogers is the most fragile of the pride. He was severely malnourished when he came here and though he bounced back, the joints in his back legs are not great. M’gonna have to help him get into the truck.” Tony listens carefully. Peter’s voice is sweet and soft. The white lion huffs friendly and presses himself against Peter, who pushes back against him with his head. When Peter opens his eyes, he nods at another lion approaching in the distance. “That’s Banner. He’s curious, but incredibly shy. Also the smallest of this pride. If none of you were here he’d come say hi, but the volunteers make him nervous, so he’ll probably keep an eye on us from over there.” Peter nods in the general direction of where the lion is and Tony turns the camera to get a shot of Banner. Not much later, a gigantic white lion approaches. He holds his head high and has a big mane. When he gets closer, Rogers immediately pulls back and lays down next to Peter. The big white lion claims Peter’s space and attention and the boy laughs as he pets him. “Thor’s the biggest- OOF!” The lion drops his weight on top of Peter, whose smile doesn’t falter. “Also the heaviest,” he adds. The lion huffs once, almost as if he’s protesting against Peter’s comments. “And the loudest.”  
  
Peter scratches Thor under his chin and the lion automatically opens his mouth right next to Peter’s face. His head could fit in there twice. At least. And the teeth are absolutely gigantic. The sight has shivers run down Tony’s spine. This is  _ normal _ . This is Peter’s life. He knows what he’s doing, the boy does this every day. Tony bites the inside of his cheek. Lions. These animals are  _ lions _ . Yet they act like house cats around him. Thor gets up again and without any incentive, he jumps into the truck.  
“He knows what’s up,” Tony laughs as he turns to the truck to take a shot of Thor from close by. He’s startled by a low rumble coming from Thor’s throat. “Is that purring?” he asks nervously. Peter stands up again, patting some dirt from the back of his shorts.  
“Lions don’t purr, that’s a growl. You better take a step back Mr- Tony.” Tony would make an offhand comment on how even though Peter corrects himself, he still ends up calling him mister, if not for the lion’s growls increasing in volume. He takes a hasty step back and Peter tosses another chunk of meat into the truck for Thor to eat. “The only big cats that purr are cheetahs and cougars.”  
“Now, that’s a fun fact. Good to know,” Tony says sheepishly, trying to hide his nerves.   
  
Tony frowns when Peter gets onto his knees in front of the truck.   
“What are you doing?”  
“Helping Rogers.”  
“You’re gonna let that gigantic beast step on you?”  
“Better than lifting him,” Peter quips back. He turns his head and whistles. “Rogie- Rogie, boy, come on!” Peter’s voice is high as he coos at the lion. Tony presses his lips on top of each other to stifle a laugh.  _ Rogie, boy. _ He should remember that one for the real Steve. Rogers responds like a trained dog, but skips Peter completely by putting his front legs against the truck. He hops, but can’t actually get in. “Buddy, your balls are in my face, could you please get up?” Peter pats Rogers’ thigh before quickly placing his hand down again to brace himself. With great difficulty, the lion places one foot on Peter’s shoulder, not pressing his full weight down on the boy. It was enough of a step to help him get in, though. Peter stands up straight again with a triumphant look on his face. He tosses another chunk of meat into the truck and Steve takes it gladly. Thor had already laid down again, not too bothered anymore.  
  
Peter cocks his head at Banner, who’s still a bit away, but has decided to come a little closer when he noticed Thor and Steve entering the truck. Peter smiles kindly and squats, presenting a chunk of meat to the shy lion. Tony is absolutely enthralled by Peter’s control. The boy seems relaxed but if you look closely you can see how in tune he is with everything. How he keeps an eye on his surroundings. Banner creeps closer and when he’s next to Peter, it’s obvious how small he actually is. His mane is also way shorter than that of the other two. Tony stares wide-eyed at how Peter handfeeds Bruce the piece of meat.  _ Handfeeds _ .  
“Not scared you’re gonna lose a hand?”  
“Nah,” Peter replies quietly. “Occupational hazard. And I trust my lions more than I trust humans, to be fair.”  
“Ouch,” Tony says to make light of the situation, trying to hide how that comment actually kind of stung. Peter chuckles, combing Banner’s short mane with his fingers.  
“We met three days ago, m- Tony.”  
“Does it really take you that much effort not to call me mister?” Tony laughs, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction.  
“I was raised with manners.” He grins at Tony and tosses the next piece of meat into the truck. Banner doesn’t hesitate anymore and jumps into the truck as well. “It physically hurts me not to call you mister.”  
“Sure, kid.” Tony zooms in on Peter’s face. “Well then, if I get to call you Parker you have permission to call me Mr. Stark.”  
“Deal!” Peter exclaims immediately. The boy’s smile is so bright Tony is pretty sure he’d be blinded by it if he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses.  
  
After another minute, the lions in the truck are getting a little restless. Peter sighs audibly and turns to face the enclosure.  
“You can guess who’s fashionably late.” Peter glances at Tony behind him. “As per usual.”  
“Time management is not my strong suit! And I was early this morning,” Tony laughs. Peter places his hands on his hips, guiding Tony’s eyes to look at the boy’s pert butt. He quickly looks back up at the back of Peter’s head. Now’s not the time for filthy thoughts… Maybe later.  
“Staaark!” Peter belts. “Here, boy!” Peter makes a couple of those funny noises he made when Tony first met him.  
“Why do you do all that? Those… Uwus?”  
“Wha- the noises?” Peter snorts. “Can’t believe Tony Stark just said  _ uwu.”  
_ “Hey-” the older man protests. “You said it first! And I am hip with the youngsters.”  
“You know what? I suddenly don’t feel so old anymore,” Peter says with a grin.   
“You, Parker, are a meanie.” Tony points accusingly and Peter laughs.  
“Ouchies, that huwt my feewings.”   
“Just explain the noise, please-” Tony lets out an overdramatic exasperated sigh, indicating to Peter that he’s not actually annoyed. Entertained, would be the right word. Peter nods with a smile and turns back to face the enclosure so he can make the sound once more.  
“The huffing is actually me mimicking the sound of a mama-lion,” Peter laughs. “It’s comforting to them.”  
“See, you could’ve just said that straight away.”  
  
Peter shrugs nonchalantly, but before he can reply with another quick-witted comment, they all spot the dark mane emerging from the bushes. Stark really does take his time, slowly placing each paw in front of the other, as if he’s on a catwalk. Tony chuckles at his own thought.  _ Catwalk _ . Stark stares at Peter as he crosses the distance between them and Peter preps himself by sitting down already.  
“Stark’s the most affectionate of the four,” Peter says as the lion presses into him. The force with which Stark rubs his face against Peter’s has the boy laugh and push back. “Next to Adi and Nedda, he probably likes me the most out of all the lions here.” He pats Stark’s back. “He’s also the most handsome of all the male lions in The Sanctuary. Hands down.”  
“Isn’t that subjective?” Tony asks quickly, pretending the indirect praise isn’t making him tingle. Peter shrugs before he buries his face in the dark mane for a second.  
“For lion standards, this is a pretty boy. Stark’s also the most sexually engaged.” Tony freezes up at how casually Peter talks about this. He wonders if Peter is actually indirectly talking about him. Not about the lion he’s petting. “That is, if we would breed here.”  
“You don’t?”  
“I don’t breed captive lions. The ones that we have in The Sanctuary are saved from situations that make them unable to be released back into the wild again. We spay every female to prevent them from reproducing.”  
“Why not the males?”  
“Spaying both is a lot of hassle for something that’s not necessary. If we were to neuter the males they would still be affected by the females’ cycles. That’s why we spay the females, who are unaffected by the males."  
“Ah, that makes sense.” Peter studies the near-black mane on Stark.  
  
“Should probably take these boys out for a walk tomorrow. Lower their testosterone a bit.” Peter looks up at Tony and gestures at Stark’s head of hair. “There were a couple of wild lionesses right outside The Sanctuary about a week ago. Stark must’ve picked up on them and their cycle ‘cause he’s a little sexually frustrated right now. As is evident by the dark colour of his mane.” Tony licks his lips. This isn’t happening. This isn’t actually happening. He shifts where he stands, hoping his shorts hide his own growing sexual frustration. Peter smiles wide and gets Stark’s attention by presenting a chunk of meat in front of the lion’s face. He tosses it into the truck and before the others in there can get to it, Stark has jumped in. Peter carefully closes the cage on top of the truck and nods at Tony, who still hasn’t said anything in an attempt to hide how flustered he is right now. “Let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We like a bit of pining, don't we?


End file.
